People hoping to call themselves the very first Blatchford residents can now get a better look at what life in Blatchford will be like! The detailed plans and new renderings for the first residential stage and community park are now available. Stage one of the development will be located on the west side of the site and will consist of approximately 250 townhome and condo units.

Some of the elements being built into the first stage include:

Incorporation of heritage elements like recycled runway benches and other heritage features that will honour the site's historical aviation significance.

Separated bike lanes and custom designed streets that prioritize pedestrians, active modes of transportation and use of public transit.

The Blatchford project took a significant step forward yesterday in the plan to create
one of the world’s largest sustainable communities. Edmonton City Council has
approved the framework for a Renewable Energy Utility for the community as well as $19.4 million to fund the initial stages of the system.

The Renewable Energy Utility is based on a District Energy Sharing System.
The system will deliver heating, cooling and hot water to the buildings in Blatchford and is a critical component in achieving Council’s ambitious goals for a carbon-neutral community that uses 100 per cent renewable energy.

“Blatchford will influence the way the world thinks about sustainable development, but only if our approach to energy usage is ambitious and creative with an ongoing commitment to visionary leadership,” says Mayor Don Iveson. “Building a District Energy Sharing System that is flexible to incorporate future technologies and that will eventually serve 30,000 residents is a perfect example of how this neighbourhood will help to position Edmonton as a leader in sustainability.”

The District Energy Sharing System is designed to reduce overall energy requirements of Blatchford. The system is comprised of three main features, including energy sharing between buildings, shallow geo-exchangeharnessing geothermal energy, and sewer heat recovery. The system is part of a larger energy strategy for the community.

District Energy Sharing System Quick Facts:

While district energy systems exist across the world, the scale and size of the system at Blatchford make it first of its kind in North America.

The heating, cooling (air-conditioning) and production of hot water are provided to buildings through a centralized system that allows the same unit of energy to be shared. The system can exchange energy between buildings by capturing excess energy from buildings and sharing it with other buildings across the neighbourhood. It can also share energy between seasons by capturing and storing summer heat energy to be used in the winter months.

The system was developed by a team of Canada’s leading experts in green energy, and the strategy provides a tailor-made, whole site solution that leverages unique on-site resources.

At least 56 per cent of Blatchford’s energy needs will be delivered through renewable means. The investigation for how to provide the other 44 per cent for plug loads (appliances, lights, etc) is underway.
Greenhouse gas emissions from the buildings in Blatchford will be approximately 75 per cent less than in a ‘business as usual’ community. In Blatchford, this equates to a reduction of about 42,000 tonnes/year of greenhouse gases, which is equal to the CO2 emissions from burning approximately 20 million kilograms of coal or consuming approximately 18 million litres of gasoline.

The system has the ability to potentially incorporate technologies not yet in existence.

The District Energy Sharing System is an extremely energy efficient way to provide heating, cooling and hot water to homes. Combined with the energy efficient building standards that Blatchford will use, the system will make great strides in achieving Council's 100 per cent renewable and carbon neutral goals. Construction of the first stage of residential buildings and a section of the central park will begin in 2017.

For more information:
blatchfordEdmonton.ca

Media contact:

Cheryl Mitchell
Communications Advisor, City of Edmonton
780-944-0511

__________________
"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish

The Blatchford development has once again exceeded the
recycling target set for building removal at the site. In order
to maximize the community’s sustainability goals at every
stage of development, the City of Edmonton set a target to
divert 80 per cent of building materials from the landfill. In the second stage of building deconstruction, 93 per
cent of materials from six former airport hangars was reused or recycled.

Since 2014, twelve buildings have been disassembled with
a total of approximately 27,000 tonnes of materials (92 per cent)
of materials diverted from the landfill.

“We felt it was important to ensure that every stage of the development
process, including our pre-construction work, stays true to our goal to be
a leader in environmentally-friendly community design,” said Mark Hall,
Executive Director, Blatchford Redevelopment. “The building deconstruction process was one of the first areas where we could demonstrate our commitment to making this community one of the most sustainable neighbourhoods in the world.”

Through the deconstruction process, buildings were slowly dismantled to allow the materials to be sorted for recycling, reuse or waste management. Four buildings on the site were dismantled piece by piece and rebuilt off-site by private citizens.

The approximately 27,000 tonnes of building materials reused or recycled includes concrete, metal, debris and wood.

The other pre-construction environmental activities on site include recycling of runways and re-using soil excavated from the stormwater ponds to grade the site and to eventually build a large hill in the park. Utility and road construction on the first residential stage and section of park begins spring 2017.

For more information:

BlatchfordEdmonton.ca

Media contact:

Cheryl Mitchell
Communications Advisor, City of Edmonton
780-944-0511

__________________
"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish

The Blatchford 2017 construction season kicked off this week,
with crews mobilizing on site to begin installation of the underground
utilities that will service the first residential stage.

The work planned for the first part of 2017 includes installation of storm,
sanitary and water servicing as well as piping for the district energy
sharing system. Once the deep utilities have been installed, the
project team can move forward with Stage 1 local road construction.
In late 2017, it is anticipated that construction crews will begin
drilling boreholes under the first stormwater pond for the geo-exchange,
which is one of the renewable energy sources for the district energy
sharing system.

"Starting another year of construction means we are one step closer to seeing the first of 30,000 residents moving into one of the world’s largest sustainable communities," says Mark Hall, Executive Director, Blatchford. "While people won't see buildings going up in Blatchford until next year, this is another significant milestone for us in terms of getting the site ready for the home builders."

In addition to the construction work, another recycling initiative is also underway at Blatchford. Approximately one third of the former runways have been removed and that material is now being crushed on site. This recycled material (concrete, asphalt and gravel) will be used to construct future roads in the community. To ensure as much of the material as possible are diverted from the landfill, any excess materials that are not required in the community will be sold for reuse elsewhere.

The builder selection process will also begin this summer, with presale of the first units expected in 2018.

For more information:

BlatchfordEdmonton.ca

__________________
"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish

Attachment 2 | File: LDA17-0150 | Blatchford | July 10, 2017
THE APPLICATION
BYLAW 18064 proposes to rezone the subject land from (MA1) Municipal Airport Airfield Zone to (PU) Public Utility Zone.
This rezoning facilitates the development of a District Energy Centre and an associated portion of a public plaza. The energy centre will accommodate mechanical components of the neighbourhood’s District Energy Sharing System (DESS). Approved by Council in December 2016, the Blatchford DESS will provide heating, cooling, and hot water energy services to development in the neighbourhood. Underground aspects of the DESS are treated as essential utilities that will be reviewed with servicing. However, the District Energy Centre has land use impacts similar to a substation and it requires appropriate zoning before construction can proceed.

__________________
"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish

Phase one of the Blatchford Redevelopment builder selection process starts today with the Request for Expression of Interest (RFEOI) now open. Twelve parcels are available for builders to express their interest in developing, all residing within Blatchford West. The 12 parcels include various products such as fee-simple townhouses with potential garage suites, condo townhouses, stacked townhouses and mixed-use buildings.

The Blatchford Redevelopment is looking for builders who have a commitment to environmental sustainability, architectural excellence and design innovation, all which match the vision for Blatchford. Applications for the RFEOI can be found at BlatchfordEdmonton.ca/Builders, and will be accepted until Friday, December 8, 2017 at 4:00 PM MST. The second phase of the builder selection, the Invitation for Offers to Purchase, is expected to take place in 2018. This is the first phase of development for the Blatchford Redevelopment, which will span over 20 construction seasons to complete the neighbourhood.

This is a significant milestone for Blatchford, which will be home to one of the largest sustainable redevelopment projects in North America, with up to 30,000 residents eventually calling the neighbourhood home. Blatchford’s vision is a central and sustainable community that puts people first with family-friendly and active modes of transportation at the core.

For more information:
BlatchfordEdmonton.ca/Builders

Media contact:
﻿Kristi Bland
Communications Advisor
780-495-9904

__________________
"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish

Construction update
Last year was another productive year of construction at Blatchford and we are gearing up for a busy 2018!

The construction work in 2017 was focused on getting the site ready for homebuilders in the first phase of development on the west side of the community. Work included connecting Blatchford to existing utilities outside the site and installing underground utilities, including the piping for the District Energy Sharing System, which will provide environmentally-friendly heating, cooling and hot water to the homes. The first portion of paving also began last year with the very first road in Blatchford now complete!

Here are just a few construction highlights from 2017:

8,400 metres of water mains, storm and sanitary sewers and distribution piping for the District Energy Sharing System were installed
1,400 metres of curb and gutter were constructed
121,000 tonnes of concrete and asphalt was recycled for re-use on the site
175 metres of road was paved

What's Next?
The chance to live in Blatchford is getting closer as we continue our builder selection process. Last year, we started a two step competitive process to find builders who share our vision and can deliver beautiful and energy-efficient buildings. We are excited to announce that 27 builders expressed interest in being a part of the first phase of the community. We are now preparing to move forward with the second part of the selection process to secure builders for the very first homes.

Learn more about the first stage of development

At the same time as we move forward with builder selection, we will be continuing construction at the site. This year, work includes installing the geo-exchange field under the future stormwater pond and the construction of the first Energy Centre for the District Energy Sharing System. We will also complete installing utilities, paving roads and building sidewalks in the first stage and will start on the landscaping work.